The Nebraska Legislature has mandated that each school district in the state develop a multicultural program for incorporation into all phases of the curriculum, kindergarten through grade 12. In Northeast Nebraska, the Division of Education at Wayne State College has accepted the charge to be a leader in providing impetus for the inclusion of multicultural education in the school systems, including those located in rural areas. This paper presents an overview of related literature, and a rationale, philosophy, and methodology for incorporating multicultural education in both preservice and inservice education in rural regions. Teachers in the schools have received training in human relations and multicultural education skills through inservice workshops. Preservice teachers are required to participate in at least one field based experience in a multicultural setting. Specific strategies are presented which will enable the rural teacher educator to successfully implement these concepts. Multicultural education has often been viewed as only an urban challenge; however, the increasing global society has made it imperative that all children develop positive views of cultural diversity. A list of cultural self-awareness questions is appended. (Contains 14 references.) (LL)